


red

by astratic



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Pre-Canon, but that wasnt strictly my intention, just generally daves canonical childhood yknow, you can read this as romantic if you wanna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 01:18:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13753212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astratic/pseuds/astratic
Summary: i remember heatthe sun was big and hot and i tried to grow flowers in the city butthey diedit was never a place for fragile things to live even though you told me they couldthey were green like your name. green like the way i felt about you we triedi tried. i was always broken





	red

They’re not doing anything? They’re just sitting there.

They will, she tells you with all the certainty of a prophet, you just have to be patient. Patience. Just wait a few more days.

You are red, and so is the Texas heat. The sky outside streaks red and turns black, and you know you weren’t made for this. Being nurturing is not inside you. Nothing grows here but the scraggly weeds that force their way through the cracks in the sidewalk, and even those get stepped on.

She is green, green like the little frilled leaves poking out of the pot she sent you. When it gets bigger, she had warned, you’ll have to re-pot it. But for now it’ll be happy in there. Happy. Her words are happy and green and she believes in you. You wish you could have your own little bit of green, but you are red and the sky outside is burning. You don’t think those leaves will last.

The stems are so fragile when you touch them that you think they will snap right there, but they don’t. You are meticulous about watering the tiny bit of life you cultivated all by yourself. She sends a lot of hearts and smiles and you send her pictures and she is so sweet and green. These leaves can’t even compare.

It is too red, too hot outside for this, but you will protect that little bud with your life. A little bit of green grows in your heart, and you wonder what color flowers it will make. She said it was a surprise. You tell her probably green, since she loves the color so much. She says you’re silly. Most flowers aren’t green. Only the leaves are green. You think that might be fitting. You doubt she loves the color as much as you’ve come to these days.

You are bright red but your heart is green and you’re starting to think you can live with that contradiction. Complimentary is a nice word, you think. Even if the sight makes you think of Christmas.

And then one day after you’ve watered it, before it blooms, before it even changes color it’s gone. Lost to the arc of a swinging sword, the little pot she sent you shatters against the wall. You don’t even notice until after you’ve dealt with your wounds, but it hurts. You sit over the crumpled leaves and think that you were stupid to ever hope you could change. Nothing grows here, in the careless city. Nothing beautiful.

She offers to send you more seeds, a new pot, but you tell her no. What kind of flowers would they have been?

Poppies, she says. Red. Like you.

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally posted on tumblr [here](http://azurenoon.tumblr.com/post/127918096748/tiny-sad-heavy-symbolism-based-on-a-bit-of)


End file.
